Potential to Use Plants to Extract Essential Metals from Lunar and Martian Soils

Abstract

Recent advances in space exploration have brought the possibility of sustainable colonies on the Moon and Mars within reach. Space missions have already returned extraterrestrial rocks and soils to Earth, and future crewed missions will provide even greater access to off-world materials. Eventually, we may colonize plants on space. Among the tremendous diverse terrestrial species, some plants called hyperaccumulators not only survive on toxic soil but also accumulate heavy elements in their foliage, which offers a novel solution for extracting valuable elements from these extraterrestrial substrates. Phytomining is a biotechnological approach that employs hyperaccumulator plants to concentrate heavy metals and rare earth elements in their biomass and it holds particular promise for in situ resource utilization. These specialized plants absorb metals from the soil into their foliage, which can then be harvested and processed to recover the targeted elements. With modern biotechnology and genome editing tools, developing hyperaccumulators optimized to lunar or Martian soil is feasible. By cultivating hyperaccumulator species on lunar or Martian soil, it becomes possible to generate meaningful quantities of construction and industrial metals directly on site. Implementing phytomining on the Moon and Mars could reduce the need to transport raw materials from Earth, lower launch costs, and accelerate the development of local infrastructure. As we move toward establishing off-world settlements, integrating phytomining into extraterrestrial agriculture and resource-extraction strategies may prove critical for achieving long-term sustainability.